Rotator Cuff Surgery Anyone????

J

Just Believe

New member
My mom just had hers repaired yesterday.
They put anchors in her shoulder bone to hold it together. Was quite a bad tear.

Was wondering what her recovery is going to be like. She's got my dad home with her to help her and I am 2 hours away. She came home with a pain pump that gets removed on Friday (tomorrow).

Would appreciate all the info you can give me (us).

Thanks!
 
sorry your mom hadto go thru this particular type of surgery. i just had this done in feb and it was really a painful one,so DO be prepared for that,okay? for some reason and i really don't know why,my ortho and others i have spoken to have all statted it is one of the most painful both with post op pain and during the recovery. the big key for her is to do what they surgeon orders her to do as far as any excercises that should be started almost immediately,along with making certain to follow up with solid PT program with a good knowledgable therepist. this is just to make sure that whole shoulder joint gets back into use asap. there is a machine called a CPM(continuous passive motion) that i used as well as another board member here called sammy? we both had our surgeries done about the same time here. this chair ,you sit in,then strap an arm to your arm that we both had delivered to our homes(ordered by our surgeons),helps to move that shoulder joint ONLY without involving the actual muscle and tendon that needs to rest and heal? we both had to strap into our cpms a few times a day and believe me,it DID help reduce the pain and also give you kind of a head start towards rehabbing the whole joint and arm back into shape. it can take awhile tho so don;t expect mom to be doing anything amazing really soon,K? you just cannot allow that shoulder joint to sit for too long not moving(it is painful to get this back so don;t be shocked or suprised by it,just make sure her surgeon is giving her the appropriate amount of pain meds)if this sits without PT or any excercises being done daily after a certain point(usually within a day or three)that shoulder risks whats called frozen shoulder to develop and we do not want that for mom. i really would ask her surgeon about that CPM chair if at all possible,it really really helped both sammy and i in the best possible way in getting that joint moving.

just how old is mom and how is her health overall,any problems that would hinder her with PT and excercises? this would most definitely matter. if you have some specific questions,i am here,just holler,K? good luck to mom. keep me posted. FB
 
thanks for all your info!
I will definitely ask her about the chair. She just went in this am to have the pain pump removed. The incisions look good they said and they had her move her arm and she did it well. Not sure whta the next step is for her but will talk to her tonight.

She's annoyed having to keep her arm in that sling under her clothes-that's about all she's complaining about now but she is going to listen and do exactly what the dr tells her as i have told her that i know a few people that have had to have this surgery done for the 2nd time since they didn't follow dr's orders...it ripped again!

my mom is 60 and is in good health. the only issue they had during the surgery is that she has osteoporosis (they thought only the initial stage and didn't expect it to be in her shoulder bone) but when they went to attach the anchors that hold the tendon to the bone, the smaller anchors just fell right out-soft bone there for her. But, she's a very strong woman and has a high pain tolerance (unlike me!).

i'll keep you posted and hope you don't mind me asking more questions down the road.

how are you doing now? are you in any pain? do you have a good range of motion?

thanks again and enjoy your weekend.
 
that bone thing could be a potential issue with regards to just proper healing. is she on any calcium and vit D suppliments or any other bone strengthening types of Rx meds? they could help with this,thats all. when i had my sling on,my hubby helped me at first with this,but i would take that sling off,and dress under it and place it back on again so i didn't have that 'under the clothes" crap to deal with. it IS okay to do this she just has to do it all very slowly and with help if possible. i found button down shirts or zipper shirts were my best friend,along with pants/sweats that has elastic tops with NO zippers or buttons to have to mess with too. this was just soo much easier,espescially when i had to go to the bathroom? or do other things myself? elastic is wonderful. you can also place velcro pieces on certain types of clothing temporarily so your mom can put this stuff on herself when no one is there to help,you know what i mean? you just bypass the buttons and attacth a those adhesive velcro squares,or place a couple stitches in the velcro so it wont just tear off the clothes on her when she is by herself? it just takes some imagination to get thru this part of not being able to actually use that arm/hand for a while. i would defintiely find out if that CPM is something that her ortho thinks may help her with her particular repairs that were done tho. it did help me alot. you just cannot allow that joint to sit idle for too long since it does not take too long for that capsule and scar tissue to form in there when it isn't being moved at all,you know what i mean?

i would be more than happy to answer any questions i can for you. i am usually hangin here in the mornings. i am really glad she is planning on doing everything needed to get this healed properly,some people just don;t think they need to,and those are the ones who have the most problems and do pay for it later.

i am still doing PT on my shoulder but i have alot of other medical issues that include pain syndromes ands spinal cord injuries so my PT still includes the shoulder but with other types of therepy too. but i do have all my ROMS back. the therepy,the hands on stuff,really IS important. the pullys are great too,they allow you yourself to dictate movement and go at your own pace. but you don't start with those til a bit further out. i do hope everything goes well for your mom. please keep me posted and any questions,just holler,K? good luck, FB
 
Thanks again for your wealth of info!
She's found zippers and sweatsuits to be her friend as well:)

I'll keep you posted. She has her first PT session this am.

Thanks again...very nice 'talking' with you.
 
sounds like things are going okay and she is right on target as far as post op PT and recovery. just a helpful suggestion if she is not already doing this? have her take her pain meds about an hour before she is going to do her excercises,it does help tons with the increase in pain that just comes along for the ride. if you need any more info,let me know,K? FB
 
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